WHEN ONE UNAMID DEPLOYMENT DOOR OPENS, ANOTHER CLOSES

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000872 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, SE WILLIAMSON DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC AU ET SU SUBJECT: WHEN ONE UNAMID DEPLOYMENT DOOR OPENS, ANOTHER CLOSES ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Deployment "progress" made during the June 5 United Nations Security Council visit to El Fasher, North Darfur, appears to be illusory, according to United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur Force Commander GEN Agwai. While the Government of Sudan promised to allow Thai and Nepalese elements to deploy following the Ethiopian and Egyptian elements, it now seems that the Government of Ethiopia is imposing its own preconditions to deployment of its battalion, prompting a June 13 visit by GEN Agwai and new Planning Chief Noddy Stafford to Addis Ababa to re-negotiate with the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense. On the basis of this and other logistical impediments, Agwai remains pessimistic that any significant UNAMID deployment will occur before spring 2009. END SUMMARY. ETHIOPIA ONCE AGAIN ON THE FENCE -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a June 8 meeting with FieldOff, United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Force Commander GEN Martin Luther Agwai discussed the June 5 visit by the United Nations Security Council delegation (UNSC) to Sudan, including its meeting with Presidential Advisor Nafie Ali Nafie. According to GEN Agwai, UNAMID Joint Special Representative Rodolphe Adada advised the UNSC to raise UNAMID deployment as the number one priority when it met with Nafie. Agwai said he understood that during the course of this meeting, Nafie said that after the first Ethiopian and Egyptian battalions deploy, the Government of Sudan (GoS) will accept the Thai and Nepalese elements. ¶3. (SBU) However, on the same day that the UNSC visited El Fasher (June 5),the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) sent a Note Verbale to UNAMID saying it would deploy its battalion to Sector North first, then later re-locate it to Sector West. This contradicts a prior arrangement between the GoE and UNAMID, in which the Ethiopians would deploy to Kulbus in Sector West, according to Agwai's priorities. GEN Agwai said he and the new Chief of Planning Noddy Stafford (who replaced COL Murdo Urquhart; Urquhart departs Sudan on June 19 but is in El Fasher at the moment) will travel to Addis Ababa on June 13 to discuss this revised deployment plan with the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense. OBSTACLES NEW AND OLD PERSIST -------------- ¶4. (U) Both GEN Agwai and COL Urquhart, in separate conversations with FieldOff, expressed concern that too much time has passed between when Thailand and Nepal made their initial UNAMID pledges and the GoS' acceptance of these elements, and that the Thai and Nepalese Governments likely will have to be re-approached for these units. COL Urquhart reported that he had been told last week by a Nepalese commander, who had been on the original UNAMID reconnaissance last fall, that the Special Forces unit pledged then has since been committed elsewhere. GEN Agwai confessed he was not surprised by such news and expected that Thailand has done the same. ¶5. (SBU) GEN Agwai reiterated concerns about issues that continue to plague UNAMID deployment, including lack of land in Kulbus, which would prevent the Ethiopian battalion from eventually deploying there. He said UNAMID is pushing hard for land in Um Kadada, Kulbus and Korma required for Ethiopian and Rwandan deployments. He added that Tine and Um Barru have yet to be expanded to accommodate Senegalese elements and troop increases to the 800-man level. "If there is no expansion," Agwai reminded, "then we cannot plus-up to 800 and Formed Police Units cannot deploy." ¶6. (SBU) COL Urquhart told FieldOff that his biggest concern for UNAMID is the July 14 departure of PAE, the contractor responsible for building transit camps and super-camps, which could serve as "placeholders" for incoming forces while new camps are being built and existing camps expanded by commercial contractors [NOTE: Acting Chief of Integrated Support Services Wolfgang Weiszegger told FieldOff on June 8 that while PAE is in reality not doing much for incoming troops, the commercial contractors on whom UNAMID would be forced to rely for camp expansion are not impressive. END NOTE]. ¶7. (SBU) In addition to the problems associated with expanding existing camps and building new ones, GEN Agwai reiterated the need to find a faster way to transport contingent-owned equipment from El Obeid into Darfur. He pointed out that it will take the Nepalese 90 days from their eventual deployment date to the date they receive their equipment, since they only order their equipment on the day they receive final deployment authorization. Finally, GEN Agwai noted he is discussing with UN Headquarters in New York which battalions would not enter the mission, since current pledges exceed UNAMID's mandated troop ceiling. Given these factors, as well as the advent of the rainy season in Darfur (July and August, when Agwai predicted UNAMID would "stand still"),Agwai did not expect UNAMID to be stood up in any viable way before spring 2009. DATTA